7th June 2006 Archive

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Apple ships 'none more black' U2 iPod

Vertigo

Apple has revived its U2-branded iPod, relaunching the all-black - front and back - machine using the 30GB fifth-generation video-capable version of the player. And just so it's not mistaken for a regular black iPod, the clickwheel's red - as per past U2 iPods - and the casing is made of stainless steel. Apple said the player …

Media players 7 Jun 2006, 02:30
ATI RS600 chipset surfaces

Computex 2006 ECS mobo in the spotlight

ATI was more interested in mentioning its upcoming RD600 chipset, but that didn't stop a lone LGA775-oriented RS600-based mobo being placed among a host of CrossFire 3200 for Socket AM2 boards the company had on display at Computex this week. The board, from Elitegroup, has a single x16 PCI Express slot, accompanied by a x1 …

Bits 'n' Chips 7 Jun 2006, 02:47
ATI announces PVR-friendly TV chip

Computex 2006 Theater 650 Pro unveiled

ATI quietly announced the latest member of its Theater Pro TV chip family at Computex this week, pitching the part's PVR functionality and ability to tune into both digital and analogue TV signals anywhere in the world. The Theater 650 Pro incorporates a 125-channel TV tuner connected to a 12-bit worldwide multi-format video …

Bits 'n' Chips 7 Jun 2006, 03:20
Computex 2006 - Full Coverage

This year's key stories

Fast access to the key stories from this year's show. Chipsets Intel does HD with G965 chipset ATI RS600 chipset surfaces Intel rolls out P965/ICH8 chipset Nvidia rolls out Intel edition nForce 500 chipset trio CPUs AMD defines itself as the joker in the pack Laptop vendors to adopt desktop 'Conroe' chip? AMD to re- …

Bits 'n' Chips 7 Jun 2006, 03:28
Dell deals multimedia TFT displays

Goes all peripheral

Dell has started shipping three new TFT displays, offered under its UltraSharp brand. The biggest is the 24in 2407WFP which costs £825 including VAT and delivery at the Dell online shop. Hunt around and you'll find it on sale for £765 or so. It's got a 1,920 x 1,200 WUXGA widescreen resolution, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 6ms …

Gadgets and Gizmos 7 Jun 2006, 08:02
Tyan unleashes 16-core 'personal' supercomputer

Computex 2006 Eight Xeons, one Typhoon

Taiwan's Tyan today pledged to ship a deskside "personal supercomputer" powered by eight Intel low-voltage 'Woodcrest' Xeon processors and packing up to 48GB of memory in the fourth quarter. But expect to pay at least $10,000 for the wheel-mounted machine, the company said. Named Typhoon - it'll "blow you away", quipped Tyan …

PCs 7 Jun 2006, 08:54
Nvidia bids for next-gen handheld biz

Computex 2006 You will play Quake III on your Windows Mobile phone

Nvidia today extended its foray into the handheld graphics arena, moving beyond mobile phones to Windows Mobile 5.0 PDAs. Dubbed the MobileMedia Platform, the product comprises hardware, middleware and development tools device makers can use to create Nvidia-equipped handhelds. The company also announced Windows Mobile 5.0- …

Phones 7 Jun 2006, 09:05
FIC makes play for slimmest media centre PC

Computex 2006 GE2 closing on on Aopen?

First International (FIC) this week demo'd its upcoming bit to displace Aopen at the top of the mini-PC totem pole: the GE2, a 4.2cm high, 17.2 x 22.6cm footprint Viiv-branded Windows Media Center system. Like Aopen's MP945-VXR, the 1.3kg GE2 is pitched as a 'mobile on desktop' machine. It's based on a Core Duo processor - …

PCs 7 Jun 2006, 09:26
Gigabyte gives 'Merom' room in mini media PC

Computex 2006 But the A963's not as cute as the Mac Mini...

Intel's upcoming mobile Core 2 Duo processor, 'Merom', made an appearance - well, sort of - at Computex 2006 this week, slotted inside a Gigabyte-made compact media centre PC. Like the 'Santa Rosa'-based notebook ECS had on display, you'd never have known from the imaginatively named A963 itself that its has Intel's next- …

PCs 7 Jun 2006, 09:41
Dell ships notebook with 'super 3G' card

Exclusive Promised HSDPA add-on available at last

Dell UK has begun selling a 3G network datacard kitted out with HSDPA high-speed download technology. The card is available to buy as an optional extra with the PC maker's Latitude D820 notebook computer. Dell announced in January it would ship a machine with HSDPA support later this year. The following March, it launched the …

PCs 7 Jun 2006, 10:18
Intel pitches VoIP card at office-PC users

Computex 2006 Use any ordinary phone for Skype etc

Intel has launched its latest bid to encourage computer users to make phone calls via the internet: a slimline PCI card that allows any ordinary handset to be used to make VoIP connections. The chip giant announced the 600SM PCI Phone Adaptor at Computex 2006 this week. It said the device is primarily pitched at office …

Phones 7 Jun 2006, 10:48
HP recalls flaming cameras

And expands photographic ambitions

HP is recalling hundreds of thousands of digital cameras following reports that they catch fire spontaneously. The firm says the 679,000 R707 units it has sold worldwide are dangerous when used with non-rechargeable batteries. Connecting the camera to the mains while the batteries are inserted can cause them to overheat due …

Gadgets and Gizmos 7 Jun 2006, 10:54
KWorld DVB-T 310U USB TV tuner

Review PVR on your PC

Computers will soon come with TV tuners built-in as standard - the electronics are certainly small enough - but for now if you want to turn your PC into an 'idiot's lantern' you've got to opt for an add-on. USB now provides the bandwidth and the simplicity of connection, so you won't even have to open up your computer - handy if …

Gadgets 7 Jun 2006, 11:02
Formula 1 carbon mouse mat - yours for £250

Blimey

For the man who has everything, or the fool who wishes to be parted from his money as soon as possible, might we recommend the Formula 1 carbon mouse mat currently on offer at the official F1 store for a mere 250 quid. Mind you, this is not just any mouse mat, oh no: Hand-made in England exclusively for Formula 1™ by …

Gadgets and Gizmos 7 Jun 2006, 12:05
Nvidia nForce 590 mobos shown by ECS and DFI

Computex 2006 Reference boards only

ECS and DFI were the first motherboard manufacturers to have Intel-oriented nForce 590 SLI-based boards on display at Computex. ECS has one board mounted on the wall together with an array of other motherboards, but it was clear that this was not an ECS motherboard due to the colour scheme. ECS openly admitted that it was indeed …

Bits 'n' Chips 7 Jun 2006, 15:14
Leadtek rebuts Foxconn handover claim

Computex 2006 Not quitting graphics card business

Leadtek has denied claims it is to quit the graphics card market in favour of manufacturing partner Foxconn, which yesterday used the Computex 2006 show in Taipei to announce it will begin selling Nvidia-based cards under its own name. In an email sent out by a Leadtek today, the company quoted a message posted on a DailyTech …

Bits 'n' Chips 7 Jun 2006, 15:16
Netgear launches 'pre-n' wireless kit

While we're waiting for 802.11n to be finished...

Netgear is about to release a whole stack of wireless networking products under the name RangeMax Next to distinguish them from the existing, non-802.11n RangeMax family. It also pledged to ship its Wi-Fi VoIP phone "shortly". The DG834N is an ADSL modem router and the WNR834B is a cable router - ie. no ADSL. Both boxes have …

Gadgets and Gizmos 7 Jun 2006, 15:49
Intel does HD with G965 chipset

Computex 2006 Integrated graphics with HDMI support

Although Intel officially announced the P965 chipset yesterday, today's press briefing contained some further information about the other chipsets in the 965 family, aka 'Broadwater'. Intel talked about the G965 for Viiv and Q965 for vPro. As we reported earlier, the integrated graphics core will indeed be known as GMA X3000 for …

Bits 'n' Chips 7 Jun 2006, 16:23
Dialogue demos 'unique' laptop display rig

Computex 2006 Flybook VM more like a monitor than a notebook

Is it a notebook or a desktop? Taiwan's Dialogue Flybook VM doesn't seem sure either, thanks to a novel screen hinge mechanism that literally lifts the machine's 12.1in, 1,280 x 768 widescreen panel up and away from the keyboard unit. The third-generation Flybook - the first two series distinguished themselves with their …

PCs 7 Jun 2006, 16:25
Dell extends dual-core servers for the Enterprise

Mighty Morphin' PowerEdge Ranges

Dell is upping the stakes in the enterprise server market with the release of its ninth generation of PowerEdge servers. Announcing the worldwide availability of the PowerEdge 1950, 2900 and 2950, Jay Parker, Dell's director of worldwide marketing for PowerEdge servers, promised: "Dell will achieve leadership in price/ …

PCs 7 Jun 2006, 17:16
BPI urges Apple to open iTunes

'Nice iPod you've got there. Shame if anything happened to it'

The British Phonographic Institute has called on Apple to make its iTunes DRM compatible with other music players. It's one of a number of points put before the House of Commons Select Committee for Culture today by representatives of the organisation, including chairman Peter Jamieson. Many of the others you've heard before: …

Media players 7 Jun 2006, 19:07
Intel together forever – or at least 2010 – with x86

EPIC battles put on hold

Intel seems to have learned its lessons from AMD's quick embrace of x86-64-bit extensions and the Itanium debacle. It's sticking with x86 chips for the foreseeable future. "We pretty much have x86 as the going assumption," said Intel's CTO Justin Rattner, speaking here today at an Intel Labs press event. "As we talk to our …

Bits 'n' Chips 7 Jun 2006, 20:33